President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth was investigated in 2017 for sexual assault, according to police in Monterey, California.
Monterey police confirmed Thursday that they had investigated an alleged sexual assault in October 2017 in which Hegseth was named, according to a release from the California police department. The original investigative report was not released and the release did not discuss how Hegseth was involved in the incident.
Though Monterey police issued a statement this week that did not address the status or outcome of the investigation, Hegseth’s attorney told Task & Purpose Hegseth was “cleared” in the case.
“There was this accusation, he was cleared,” said Tim Parlatore, a lawyer who represents Hegseth. “There’s nothing more to it. Years ago, he didn’t do anything wrong. It shouldn’t have any bearing on his nomination or his future work in the Pentagon.”
The alleged incident was listed at the same address as the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa on Del Monte Golf Course, in Monterey, California which was holding a political event on the same day as the incident in the early-morning hours of Oct. 8, 2017. The National Federation of Republican Women held their 40th Biennial Convention at the hotel at the time, according to the federation’s website.
The confidential incident report was filed a few days later on Oct. 12, 2017, according to the police department
The release withheld identifying information of the victim but noted contusions to the victim’s right thigh. There were no weapons involved.
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Parlatore said Hegseth cooperated with police and said investigators were “unable” to establish probable cause. Task & Purpose reached out to Monterey Police for comment on the investigation’s findings but they did not respond in time for publication.
Palatore said he has represented Hegseth for at least seven years.
The full police report, which includes an analysis and conclusions on the incident, is exempt from public disclosure, Monterey police said. However a California code does require “limited disclosure of specific, non-private information relating to complaints or requests for assistance,” which is what was included in the release.
Hegseth, who is currently a host on Fox News, served as an officer in the Army National Guards of five states between 2002 to 2021, leaving the service as a major, according to the Army. His deployments included Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Hegseth is the latest Global War on Terrorism veteran picked for Trump’s team. If confirmed by the Senate, he will join Marine veteran J.D. Vance, who will be sworn in as vice president in January, Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.), a retired National Guard colonel and Green Beret picked to serve as Trump’s national security advisor.